The Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman

As obsessive readers and fans of dismissing quality movies as inferior to their literary counterparts, it's important for us to know which books will head to the big screen ahead of time. How else will we know how Wild Reese will be, or what is going to happen to Peeta? Be reasonable. We've decided to use our research for the good of society and share the adaptations coming soon that we are most excited for.
1. The Spook's Apprentice - Joseph Delaney (Seventh Son)
Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes) is the seventh son of the seventh son, which gives him the ability to see things that others cannot: ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, and the like. He becomes an apprentice to John Gregory, the Spook (Jeff Bridges). Julianne Moore is set to play Mother Malkin, one of the most sinister witches who uses blood magic, luring young runaway women into care before sucking their blood to maintain her youth, who was then imprisoned by the Spook. Kit Harington and Djimon Hounsou also star.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, in case you somehow didn't know, are stepping into the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey for the adaptation of the incredibly successful erotic novel. Steele, a literature student, interviews Grey as a favor to her roommate, but quickly becomes entranced by this brilliant and handsome man who is unable to resist her. He admits his desire, but on his own terms; this is a man with a need to control everything. This is also probably going to be the movie with a bunch of heavy-breathing sweaty middle-aged women trying to control themselves in the theater. You've been warned.
3. In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick
The last time Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth teamed up, they brought us one of the best films of 2013, Rush. Now, they're at it again (along with Cillian Murphy and Benjamin Walker) with this story of a whaleship attacked by one angry whale, leaving the crew shipwrecked and stranded for 90 days, thousands of miles from land. The true story inspired a little book by Herman Melville (played in the movie by our favorite, Ben Whishaw) entitled Moby-Dick.
4. The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith (Carol)
W. W. Norton &amp; Company
Patricia Highsmith, author of successful novels-turned-movies like Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley (we're choosing to ignore the recent The Two Faces of January here), wrote The Price of Salt, which will be released as 'Carol.' The novel itself, controversial for its lesbian content and unprecedented gay happy ending, is said to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Sarah Paulson, with Far From Heaven and I'm Not There director Todd Haynes helming.
5. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Shaye Areheart Books
Gone Girl author brings us yet another chilling thriller. A young girl is the sole survivor of a massacre that leaves both of her sisters and her mother dead in an apparent Satanic cult ritual. She testifies against her brother, but 25 years later, she begins to investigate the actual events. Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nicholas Hoult, and Christina Hendricks star.
6. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
HarperCollins Publishers
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants director Ken Kwapis is set to direct Bryson's memoir, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. The hilarious book describes Bryson's attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz. Emma Thompson and Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman will also star.
7. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
As conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows, a war looms for Divergent's post-apocalyptic Chicago. In this sequel, we're still following Shailene Woodley and Theo James' Tris and Four as they try to understand the reasons for Erudite's insurrection and obtain information the Abnegation are trying to protect. Kate Winslet, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller return in their supporting roles, and are joined by some all-star names: Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, and Suki Waterhouse.
8. Serena - Ron Rash
The dynamic duo of mega-nominated movies Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are back at it! Bradley Cooper plays a man trying to maintain his timber empire during the Depression, while Jennifer Lawrence plays his wife who discovers she can't have children. For some reason, we're a little terrified of JLaw in this movie from the trailer.
9. Silence - Shusako Endo
Taplinger Publishing Company
This 1966 novel about a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan where he endures persecution is set to be adapted by Martin Scorsese. It will also have an all star cast of Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, and Adam Driver.
10. The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks
The producers of The Fault in Our Stars, the author of The Notebook, and the hottest Hollywood son around, this movie already has us in love with it. Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson play two lovers and there's a rodeo or something; we don't really know, we were just thinking about how much this movie will make us cry. Time to read the book.
11. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg tackles Thomas Hardy's novel. Carey Mulligan stars as Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who has too many men in love with her and of course rejects them all until she falls for one. Three men, played by Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone), and Tom Sturridge (On The Road), all after this woman: who will she end up with? We actually just read the plot description and had everything spoiled and somehow still gasped and cried at those three paragraphs. Why didn't we know about this book before?!
12. Paper Towns - John Green
Dutton Books
The Fault in Our Stars author John Green's next book to be adapted by the same team who adapted TFIOS (Scott Neustadter &amp; Michael H. Weber). Margo and her adventures are legendary at her high school, and Quentin ("Q") has always loved her for it. Margo climbs through his window and demands he take an all night road trip of revenge, but when she goes missing the next day, Q realizes she's left clues for him and promptly hits the road again in search of her. Cara Delevingne will play Margo and TFIOS' Nat Wolff will play Q.
13. The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge - Michael Punke
Carroll &amp; Graf Publishers
Academy Award-nominated Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, 21 Grams, Biutiful) is set to direct Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in this adaptation. Partially based on the life of fur trapper Hugh Glass. Leo will play Glass, who is mauled by a bear, then later robbed and left for dead by his companions. He survives and sets out for revenge against those same men.
14. The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Faber and Faber
A one-hundred-year-old woman, Roseanne McNulty, in a mental hospital for about 50 years decides to retrace her history. As the hospital faces demolition and he must choose which of his patients should be transferred and which should rejoin the community, Dr. Grene also tries to discover her history. What they find is very different, though there are some consistencies. Vanessa Redgrave and Rooney Mara will play Roseanne McNulty, Eric Bana will play Grene, with Theo James also starring.
15. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Penguin Classics
An oft-adapted novel, Mary Shelley's classic is to be turned into yet another film, this time directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Push). The updated version, titled Victor Frankenstein, will be told from the perspective of the doctor's assistant, Igor. The film will explain how the doctor became the man who created the legendary monster. Daniel Radcliffe will play Igor and James McAvoy will play Victor Frankenstein.
16. The Martian - Andy Weir
Crown Publishing Group
Described as Cast Away meets Apollo 13, the novel follows an astronaut stranded on Mars, fighting to survive (which also sounds mildly like Gravity to us, no?). Ridley Scott is set to direct a pretty stellar (no pun intended) cast here: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Kate Mara, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This sounds like a great movie already, but we'll have to wait until November to see it.
17. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
Macmillan Publishers
Walt Disney Pictures is working on this live-action/CGI mash-up of the classic book, directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef), with a mind-bogglingly incredible cast. Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito will provide voices, while newcomer Neel Sethi will play Mowgli.

Ugh, Bran: Really, we're starting the episode with Bran? Okay, I'll go with it. I know it's not Bran's fault that his plot lines have paled in comparison to others, and from the looks of things he's going through some mean puberty, so I'll be nice to Bran. Anyway, Bran was running through the forest so we instantly knew that this was oh, but a dream. He ran and ran and ran, until a three-eyed crow nearly bonked him in the face. He tried to shoot it, with the dream ghosts of Jon Snow and Robb giving him instructions (aww, be still my heart!) but missed. Then he heard the laughter of Theon Greyjoy, and the words of his father from the pilot episode: "And which one of you was a marksman at ten?" So long ago, it was.
And then, holy Liam Neeson, came another ghost: the ghost of the precocious kid from Love Actually, who hasn't aged a day since "All I Want for Christmas is You." "You can't kill it you know," the boy said. "Because the raven is you." Bran awoke, and thank the heavens, he was safe and sound with Rickon, Osha, and Hodor. "Hodor," said Hodor, with a keen sense of worry.
Osha was none too happy that Bran was having his black magic "wolf dreams" again, and didn't want to hear nothin' about no three-eyed raven. The Wall was far enough away, getting distracted by dreams and wishes would only hurt them. So — now we know they're headed to the Wall. Keep that in mind. Hope they packed long johns.
Later in the episode, Liam Neeson's son from Love, Actually appeared in the flesh: Ladies and gents, meet Jojen Reed, one half of the so-called "Frog-Eaters" from House Reed. Osha came after him with a big stick, but then Jojen's sister Meera surprised her with a dagger. "If you kill me, that wolf will tear you to bits," Osha snarled. Then Jojen approached Summer and made besties, so now we know that he's the "special one."
"We've come a long way to find you, Brandon," Jojen said. "Though we have much farther to go." The Reeds joined the gang, and Jojen explained to Bran that he was a warg, which is someone who can control the souls of animals. This explains the wolf dreams that Bran has been having since Season 1. Jojen explained that once Bran was "trained" he would be able to expand his abilities, and not only perform them in his sleep. He also confirmed that he had, in fact, been there for the three-eyed raven scene at the beginning of the episode.
The raven was what they were after, clearly. Jojen said the raven brings the "sight," or the ability to see the past, present, and future. I guess that's what each eye is for? Whatever it is, I'm sure that Bran is happy to have a mission of sorts after being practically useless for two full seasons. Viewers should be happy, too — he was getting tiring, in my book. Anyway, they're off to find the three-eyed raven! See you (maybe) next week.
Camp Stark: Robb was still moping over his situation and hopefully, if he's still a good son, his ill treatment of his mother. Talisa tried to perk him up with some "interesting" verbal foreplay, but Robb has gone full Ned now so you're not going to get too many smiles out of this one.
In came Lord Bolton, with good AND bad news, from Winterfell and Riverrun (his mother's home). The good? Not sure, but since I THINK the bad was that Catelyn's father had died at home in Riverrun (a huge departure from the books), I'm going to guess that it was the fact that Theon Greyjoy had been captured and there was no news on Bran and Rickon. No news is good news, says that saying that is typically wrong.
So, off they went to Riverrun, Catelyn Stark's childhood home. Lord Karstark, one of the Stark's main banner men, expressed his displeasure to Robb as they led the way. "You lost this war the day you married her," he said, referring to Talisa. (Again, if you remember, Robb Stark was promised to a daughter of Walder Frey, another influential, if grumpy, figure in Westeros.) "Brood brood, grump grump" Robb replied. He's boring now, but oh-so-handsome, so we forgive it.
Then Talisa and Catelyn sat down for a rest and some girl talk, as Catelyn was preparing some sort of jenky dream catcher that she had made in the past to watch over her children. She had done it twice successfully, she explained. Once for Bran after his fall, which we already knew. The other time? For Jon Snow! I'm surprised Catelyn even remembers his existence. let alone dwells on it. But Jon had come down with the pox as a child after Catelyn jealously prayed for his death (wow), so she, ravaged by guilt, stayed with him through a long night until he made it through. She'd even begged Ned to give him a real name — a Stark name — and told the gods she'd be a real mother to him if he made it.
Of course, as we saw long ago, she couldn't keep her promise. Michelle Fairley's acting was superb in this scene, as she explained to Talisa that every horror that befell her family came because she was unable to love a motherless child. It was powerful, it resonated, and it was another huge departure from book Catelyn Stark, who I don't believe (correct me if I'm wrong) though much about Jon at all after he left Winterfell.
50 Shades of Theon: Oh man. Oh man oh man oh man. This is the part that is going to be extremely divisive for book readers, since in George R. R. Martin's source material we spend books 3 and 4 thinking that Theon Greyjoy is dead. He is revealed in book 5 to be exactly where we see him now — in a dungeon being tortured. The reveal there is pretty excellent, but I'm not blaming Game of Thrones' writers for wanting to keep Theon in the game. Also, the s**t that happens to him is extremely messed up, so his journey should be an "interesting" one to behold. And after last season, I'm sure not many viewers will mind seeing him get his. A man stabbed him in the hand, and so it begun.
The men asked him repeatedly why he had taken Winterfell, but nothing that he said satiated them. They had him up, Jesus-like, on a tilted cross, and kept jamming his feet further into the wood with some Westerosi screws, or something. I honestly couldn't look, because it was disgusting.
Anyway, the important part came when a young man took off Theon's hood after the tormenters had left, promising to free him later in the night. He claimed that Yara had sent him, but we shall see. I don't like the smell of this. We all know Yara could give two s**ts less about Theon.
Jaimienne: Oh joy, I love these two! Jaime and Brienne wandered through a field on their way to King's Landing, and Jaime — who is still unbelievably handsome, no matter how hard they try to dirty him up — was, naturally, making the journey torturous for Brienne. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's acting is so damned wonderful that I'm warning you, I don't think I'll ever be able to say one negative thing about Jaime in these recaps, ever. Watching him verbally spar with Brienne — who has the sense of humor of a Stark — is just comedy gold.
Anyway, Jaime was mad that they were having a "dull walk." If there's one thing Jaime hates, it's not being amused. But he's resourceful, so Jaime is typically able to enjoy the company of the funniest man he knows — himself. "No one enjoys the company of humorless mute," he said to Brienne, who remained unwavering. He bitched and bitched and pissed (literally) and taunted, trying as best he could to get a rise out of the large woman. My favorite line: "Do you think Lady Stark is going to want a giant, towheaded plank following her around for the rest of her life? A week's journey with you, and she'd order you to fall on your sword." Sick burn, braugh.
Then he made some digs at Renly, basically referring to the deceased king as a big, giant p***y — definitely unfit to rule (agreed). He immediately sensed Brienne's crush, then quipped that she was not Renly's type. Brienne, definitely, has NO gaydar. "His proclivities were the worst-kept secret at court," Jaime teased. "It's a shame the throne isn't made of cocks, they would have never got him off it." This FINALLY got Brienne going, and boy did Jaime love it.
Later, as the pair was crossing a bridge, Jaime finally got the better of Brienne, emerging free and engaging in a cute little sword fight. I don't think he actually wanted to kill her, but he certainly relished having that sword in his hand again. They fought and fought and fought, and he taunted, taunted taunted, until, ultimately… the two idiots were captured by "The Flayed Men of House Bolton" which is pretty much the worst family in Westeros to be captured by. They're known for torturing people by slowing cutting off pieces of their skin. So, way to go, you two. You could have just walked across the bridge, and none of this would have happened.
King's Landing: Joffrey Baratheon does not like flowers on his clothing. When we first met the Lannisters this week, Cersei was not-so-casually prodding Joffrey (who was getting fit for new threads) for information on Margaery. Joffrey likes her, which is not entirely good news for the Queen Regent. "Her concern for the well-being of the common people is interesting" Cersei said with disdain. Joffrey did not like his mother's digging. "This is becoming one of the most boring conversations I've ever had," he sneered.
So Cersei just got right into it: It was all an act. The love of the poor, the skimpy clothing, the marriage to Renly — Margaery was power-hungry, a trait that Cersei knew all too well. Joffrey scoffed at this. Margaery married Renly because she was told to do so, he claimed. "That's what intelligent women do: What they're told." Oh Joffrey, you so do not have the women's vote in the next election.
Meanwhile, Sansa was excited at the prospect of Littlefinger whisking her away from King's Landing. Shae, wisely, insisted that his intentions were not pure — he would surely want something from her in return. Something of the sexual variety. "If he does ask you for anything, or try anything, or touch you, I want you to tell me," she said. "I will make him stop." (Aside: Why is this show making us love Shae so much? No spoilers, but my fellow readers will understand that this is not the Shae of the novels. I like this Shae, and am intrigued to see what they do with her.)
But their girl time would have to wait: Loras Tyrell came a'knockin, inviting Sansa for a lunch with Margaery and their grandmother, Lady Oleanna, who will now and forever be referred to as the Queen of Thorns. She is one to watch out for folks. Oh, and before we get started, it must be said that — like Brienne — lady Sansa STILL has absolutely no gaydar. She swoons over Loras like he's in One Freaking Direction, or a pre-meltdown Bieber. It's absurd.
So Margaery and the Queen of Thorns were, wisely, only there to prod Sansa for information on Joffrey. We knew that the QoT was the HBIC when she starting ragging on Renly, and stated how ridiculous her family was for ever letting Margaery become married to him. Margaery expertly played the politician, but you know she's just as cunning as her outspoken grandmother. QoT told Sansa that she had wanted to avoid this whole throne mess all along, but, "Once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up our udders, so here we are to see things through."
They presented Sansa with her favorite treat — lemon cakes — letting us know that the ladies had clearly done their research. "I want you to tell me the truth about this royal boy, this Joffrey," the Queen of Thorns said. "We've heard some troubling tales. Has this boy mistreated you?" Um, understatement. But Sansa was still afraid of Cersei, so she went into the same old BS about Joffrey being her lion and her one true king and blah, I'm over it. "Yes, all Lannisters are lions, and when a Tyrell farts it smells like a rose," the Queen of Thorns replied. Got, this woman is just oh-so-quotable.
The Tyrells weren't getting anything particularly juicy from Sansa, that poor little emotionally mutilated dove. But they could see it in her face, and when her father's name came up, she offered a nugget of the terrible truth: "Joffrey," she seethed. "Joffrey did that. He promised to be merciful, and he cut my father's head off. He said that was mercy. Then he took me up on the walls and made me look at it." There you have it.
"He's a monster," she continued, before begging that they keep her tattling quiet — she also made it clear that she did not want them to cancel the wedding. I mean, obviously. Margaery, again, is just a first-class politician — her face didn't flinch throughout the entire conversation. She knew her Grandma would make sure that no harm would come to her. If only the Starks had been this cunning, instead of just honorable all the time. Ugh, Starks.
Later, Margaery went to see Joffrey, who was sitting in his room with a crossbow. (Aside: You are not Daryl Dixon, Joffrey. Not by a long shot.) Joff was about to go hunting, and he wanted to see if his lady had everything she needed before he left. However, it seemed as though he had taken Cersei's warnings into consideration, because he grilled Margaery about her relationship with Renly. She said that she had tried to do her "duty" with Renly, but that she had failed. Joffrey didn't like this — no one had any duty with a traitor.
But Margaery, as always, saved herself: She gave a sweet speech, saying that the duty of any wife to any husband, traitor or no, was to give him a child. Feminism! She continued: "Renly… I don't believe was interested in the company of women." Didn't everyone in King's Landing already know this? Then, to bring her point home, she said that Renly never wanted to sleep with her, except for on that one night when he got super drunk and requested something that sounded "very painful and would in no way result in children." Oh Margaery, you are so so good. I doubt that this is even true, but she knows how to make herself seem childlike and innocent, or sexy and intriguing, depending on the company.
Joffrey was now satiated. "He was a known degenerate," he said. "I considered making his perversion punishable by death." How very Iran/Mauritania/Sudan/Saudi Arabia and Yemen of you! Margaery smoothly tickled his ego, saying that doing so was his God-given right as king. Even though that would totally kill her brother, right?
So here is when things got really weird and ridiculously good. Joffrey moved on and showed off his new toy (the crossbow) and Margaery just ate it up, feigning interest as a wise woman should. "Would you take me hunting some time?" she purred. Oh boy, Margaery has Joffrey wrapped around her little finger, and Cersei is going to hate it. "I imagine it must be so exciting to squeeze your finger here, and watch something die over there," she cooed. Oh man, you could practically feel Joffrey getting "excited," and as soon as I type that I instantly regret it, because it's gross.
He asked her if she thought she could kill something. "Do you think I could?" she replied. "Would you like to watch me?" Would he ever! I could just imagine the two of them torturing prostitutes together, then having sex over their blood. God, even Sansa! This show is so sick. And so are we.
Elsewhere, Tyrion was upset because Shae kept sneaking into his chambers, which was a surefire way to get herself killed. But she was there with good reason: She was worried about Sansa, after Roz' warning that she should not trust Littlefinger. She got jealous over the fact that Tyrion had f**ked Roz way back in the day, which was kind of adorable in a whore type of way. But anyway, she is super protective of Sansa right now, and I like that. Sansa could use someone in her corner. She's like, literally never had one. Naturally, this scene ended in a blow job, and that was that for King's Landing this week.
The Wildling Camp: Everyone hates the cave people. That's lesson one if you want to march in Mance Rayder's army, a clusterf**k militia of multiple tribes that speak a whopping seven different languages, all thrown together because Mance Rayder told them they'd die if they didn't march south. I'm already digging this Rayder fellow — he has an extremely commanding presence onscreen, and you can see why thousands upon thousands of people (and giants, and wargs, etc. etc.) would listen to him.
But the only man he was interested in listening to last night was Jon Snow: he's still testing the waters when it comes to the traitorous bastard. He asked Jon if it was hard to kill Halfhand (yes), and asked if he had liked the man (also a yes). Rayder replied that he liked Jon too, but it wouldn't be hard to kill him if had to — it would be for the sake of his people, his ragtag group of crazy-ass people. Jon is so in over his head here, you guys. He looks like a lost puppy.
Anyway, Jon then met his first warg. Ygritte, of course, thought this was hilarious — and like, we get it Ygritte. Jon knows nothing, you know everything, just hit it already. This particular warg was a better one than Bran, and was scouting for Rayder's army. When he awoke, he said that there were dead crows (men of the Night's Watch) at the Fist of the First Men. But, we already knew that.
The Night's Watch: Everyone was being mean to Sam. This has been happening for three seasons now, so we're all pretty used to it. They marched on and on through their icy hell, back to the Wall, and he just dropped on his knees, crying. "You left me," he said. "When the White Walkers came, you left me." Whine whine whine. It was because you're fat and slow, the assholes explained. I mean, they sort of have a point?
Commander Mormont came over to save the day, again, and told the men that if Sam didn't come back alive, neither would they. Oye. I get that Mormont is trying to be the good guy here, but Sam's going to have to stick up for himself if he wants to defeat the bullies. This isn't middle school, it's an icy, practically lawless war-torn kingdom where everyone has a sword and loose morals.
Arya Stark and the Merry Band of Misfits: Oh yes, Arya is on this show! How we love our Arya. When we last left my favorite Stark, she, Gendry (swoon) and Hot Pie had escaped Harrenhal, with the help of the mysterious, face-changing assassin Jaqen H'ghar. Now, hilariously, Gendry was saying what everyone else was thinking last year: "If he could kill anyone you named, why the eff didn't you say King Joffrey?" But you don't mess with Arya Stark. "Shut up," she said. Discussion over, Gendry.
So anyway, the three remaining members of the Boxcar Children were lost, and super dirty. They heard a man singing what sounded like "The Rains of Castamere" (the Lannister song), and hid behind a tree. There were two men, it seemed, and Arya immediately threatened to kill them, because that is what she does. The men were amused by this — they wanted to meet this little girl, and her friends, too!
Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie jumped out into the road, and the singing man introduced himself as Thoros of Myr — and he and his men (who had multiplied) were that Brotherhood Without Banners we'd heard about all last season, but never actually met. You know, the men that the dicks at Harrenhal were torturing people everyday for. With the rats? You get it.
Anyway, the BwB fight for neither wolf nor lion nor stag. They just wanted to know how two boys and a very dangerous girl had managed to escape Harrenhal, and invited them over for some stew. To show their hospitality, they almost killed Hot Pie.
But hey, they weren't lying about the grub. They headed over to an inn, where a drunken Thoros continued to press Arya about how they escaped Harrenhal. She said that it was due to Gendry and his smith skills, but Thoros and his men weren't buying it. They laughed at everything she said, until she — naturally — pulled out her sword. Arya Stark does not take well to mockery. Thoros wasn't about to fight her, but he knocked Needle out of her hand right quick. Arya did not like this, either. She did not like this Thoros of Myr, one bit. But he said that he'd free them, which was all she wanted to hear. A genial fellow, for sure.
… BUT WAIT. Some other men of the Brotherhood entered the inn, clearly celebrating, as they had captured a hooded figure. "That's an uncommonly large person," Thoros observed. They tore off his hood, and Arya (and the audience) nearly s**t herself when she saw that it was the Hound, or Sandor Clegane if we're being nice. She tried to walk away, but no go:
"Girl," the Hound said. "What is seven hells are you doing with the Stark bitch?" BOOM.
What did you think of the episode, readers? Are you happy that Bran is getting more to do? Are you loving the Tyrells, or is the Joffrey stuff too icky for your taste? What do you think will happen to Arya? Let us know in the comments!
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: HBO(3)]
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MTV has an early gift for us this holiday season: a second season of its new reality series, Catfish: The TV Show.
The series, which takes the premise of host Nev Schulman’s 2010 documentary Catfish and applies to a weekly, docu-series format, debuted on Nov. 12 to MTV’s highest series premiere ratings in an 11 PM timeslot in the cable network’s history. And with only six hour-long episodes, Catfish has captured a sizable audience – it averages a 2.3 share among people age 12-34 (the network’s target demo). It also happens to be the best new reality show on television.
While Schulman’s 2010 documentary was received with skepticism about its truthfulness and frustration over its inability to deliver the shocks promised by its trailers, Catfish: The TV Show turns the camera away from Schulman long enough to focus on teens and young people who’ve been duped into deceitful internet relationships.
And while Schulman’s relationship with a middle aged woman posing as a young, hot girl in the film was draped in a hopeless disappointment with the pitfalls of an internet-obsessed society, the TV version offers a more constructive – and far more interesting – take on the mind-boggling phenomenon of the false internet relationships many of us thought had died with AOL chatrooms and the rise of 15 different varieties of video chatting applications.
The beauty of the show, however short its existence, is that while you can almost always expect the internet dream boat to appear as anything but dreamy once the veil is lifted, all reveals are not created equal. Not every person with a faux identity is someone who’s bored and makes us uncomfortable with the loneliness born out of an internet culture. The reasons for duping their victims isn’t always so simple, from a man trapped in a life he never wanted, to a young girl whose revenge plot turned into a full-fledged second life, to an overweight young woman whose self-esteem was so low she thought the only way she could find the affection she craved was through deception.
While the series delivers on the promise of suspense, shock, and drama, it also gives us a deeper look at the societal issues that could lead a person to create such an elaborate ruse, and refuse to let go – even when it stands to hurt the person on the receiving end. It’s thought-provoking and just dramatic enough to keep the entertainment factor at eleven, without reaching exploitative territory. The series is, in a word, a gem.
The next episode of Catfish: The TV Show airs Monday, Jan. 7 at 11 PM ET on MTV after Teen Mom 2. And if you’re not watching it, just know, you’ve made a huge mistake.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: MTV]
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MTV’s ‘Catfish’ TV Show Succeeds Where The Film Failed
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Sometimes a TV show really can be better than the film from whence it came.
In 2010, Nev Shulman debuted his documentary, Catfish, which followed his journey to meet the girl he fell in love with on Facebook. Despite the marketing campaign for the film, which positioned it as some horror flick with a dangerous or paranormal twist, Shulman’s journey (SPOILER ALERT!) ended in a farmhouse with a middle-aged mother and wife who’d been creating false Facebook personas to stave off her own loneliness and boredom. It was an unexpected twist, for sure, but where audiences were expecting pure, radical shock and awe, we found our surprise coupled with something truly, deeply sad: a person whose life was so unlike the life they wanted that they felt the need to create another. When translated into a television show with a premise based up front on that emotional concept, the product is something that feels as if it has the momentum to move the discovery forward, instead of wallowing in the shock of the 180-degree turnaround.
The first episode of Catfish: The TV Show, focuses on Sunny, a young woman who’s in an online relationship with a male model in L.A. … who also works at Chelsea Lately and writes for the show … and also writes cue cards? What an overachiever! In truth, as most viewers probably guessed from the premise of the show, this wonderful, magical Skype-allergic RJ guy is actually an 18 year-old girl named Chelsea who started the account as a means of revenge against someone who bullied her on Facebook. The lie started to consume her because she felt like an outcast in real life, and her online model persona afforded her the means to make easy connections with other girls online as she explored her bisexuality. And that’s where the show truly manages to surpass its cinematic source material.
Whereas Shulman’s film was about his own experience, told in a firsthand way, this series takes Shulman out of the equation and lets him be a guide for the misled halves of these online relationships. Because he’s experienced this sensation and wealth of emotions himself, he knows exactly what to ask both the victims and the perpetrators to elicit the response that gets right down to the heart of it all: Sunny's search for a connection, any connection, and Chelsea's muddled self-exploration gone awry. What we find is more shocking than the film’s original surprise: the truth behind the victim’s reasons for believing the illusion and of course, the truth behind the fakers’ decision-making process.
The first episode finds Sunny fumbling over herself to make excuses for her fake boyfriend, even when Shulman comes forward with a wealth of information that refutes “RJ’s” story, including outlandish claims of emotional blockage when Shulman finds out RJ’s supposedly deceased sisters are still very much alive. Taking his own emotions out of play and letting us experience this phenomenon in an upfront and honest way makes it more honest. It feels like something that could happen to a friend or someone we know very well. It no longer feels like a detached incident blown up for the purposes of a money-making feature film. And in that way, it makes the emotional and mental gymnastics behind these events grounded and significant. These aren’t the problems of a filmmaker in a swanky office in downtown Manhattan, these are things that are happening to a guy who could be your brother’s best friend or a girl you know from the gym. It hits much closer to our own lives when we’re let in on the ground level.
Add to that the wealth of possible outcomes offered by the series and this Catfish suddenly offers something the film really couldn’t: a true exploration of the psychological effects of an online world that inherently allows for self-obfuscation. It’s an element that hits close to anyone with an online presence, because to an extent, we all do it. The anonymity of social media gives us the tools to craft how that community views us. And while few of us are likely posing as completely different people and having online relationships with complete strangers, the concept of using the medium to shift one’s definition of themselves isn’t all that inconceivable. We do it every time we untag an unflattering photo or contemplate six different status posts before sending them through the Twittersphere. Catfish takes that to an extreme, but to an extreme that exists in the real world.
Perhaps the film could have enjoyed this benefit if the big secret had been prefaced even a little, but it fell victim to the shock game. Luckily for MTV, this series has enough shock to draw a crowd, but finds its worth in what comes after each big reveal, each of which hit midway through the episode. While it's harder to watch, it's something that is far more valuable than some reality-TV-tailored moment, no matter how fun it is to yell things like "Oh no he didn't!" at your television.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: Jamie Cary/MTV]
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The first season of Bravo's Real Housewives of Miami was like a flower in the lush Everglades. It was pretty to look at, just like every other flower in the known universe, but when you got close, there was no scent. It just didn't smell. It didn't stink, but it didn't have any enchanting perfume either. It was just a blossom, sitting there in the middle of the forest not doing anything, being boring. Bravo should have cancelled it. Really, they should have.
But no, that Bravo is smarter than all of us. It retooled the formula, got some new ladies in there and then showed us the flower again. This time, when we went to go look at it and got our nose just close enough to the pistol and stamen, the flower came alive, opened it's great maw, and swallowed us whole. Yes, Andy Cohen and Co. finally gave this thing some teeth, something worth watching, something that is totally consuming and will consume you.
Now I don't think I'm going to be recapping this mess (though I may not be able to stop myself) because I'm worried that the first episode won't replicate how good the rest of the season is and I don't want to get stuck writing every week about that boring old orchid blossom. Also, starting in October Thursday night is Jersey Shore territory, but, man, it seems like we're going to be in for quite the ride. Let's look at the cast of new and returning Housewives and judge everyone a little bit, shall we? I mean, this exercise is completely worthless unless we can judge everyone a little bit.
We start the show with Marysol Patton and her mother Elsa going jewelry shopping. This really serves no purpose other than to tell us that Marysol and her husband are now separated and to remind us Marysol is only on this show because of her mother. Her mother looks like a blown out birthday cake candle that is all melted up at the top and covered with some sticky frosting down at the bottom. She talks about the plastic surgeon who ruined her face, so at least she acknowledges that she looks there is a giant blob of mud on her neck. I shouldn't be so mean to Mama Elsa, because she is hilarious and wise and some sort of psychic wizard.
"You'll be surprised what destiny has in store for you," she tells her daughter at the jewelry store. "I see women. I see lots of women in skimpy clothes and Roman sleeves. I see women with plastic surgery and limp plumping gloss. I see high heels and Versace prints. Oh, and yelling. Lots of yelling and false accusations. There is a slap, and a flying glass, and the sound of a million monkeys caught in a tornado. This is what I see in your future. Lots of gossip and fighting women and a trip to New York to sweat next to a Jewish gay in a small television studio in Soho while he tells you to plead the fifth. This is what I see in your future. I am psychic." Then she runs home and replenishes her energy by feeling around in a big silver buffet tray full of kitty litter that is speckled with feathers and jewels and dice and the head of a live chicken and the earthly remains of Larsa Pippen. And the souls coalesce around her, their specters of a million shrieking harpies eddying about her in a spiral of spirits, like wrapping her up like a mummy covered in smoke and when she inhales they all go down her mouth, like so much smoke from a hookah and she stammers backwards, trips over her tiny dog (who had been hiding in the closet for three days) and falls onto her fainting couch. This what happens with Momma Elsa.
Now we fly over to meet new housewife Ana. Oh, this is a delicious morsel, this Ana. She is just the kind of complicated mess that fuels the engines of a million reality television program recaps. She is a middle aged Cuban lawyer who loves to cook and has two teenaged brats that like to make fun of her. Well, all teenage daughters like to make fun of their mothers, that is just the way the world works. That is just Persephone plucking the pomegranate in the orchards of the underworld and tossing it at her mother. That is the universe. What makes Ana so delicious is that she has a soon-to-be-ex-husband named Robert. They have been separated for years and she says they're "friends," but she spits the words out like a bit of chew juice hitting a spittoon and making a brassy ding. "Yes, we're (deep swallow) friends and he comes over all the time for dinner and he has his own girlfriend and it's just (deep swall) great." I'm sorry, but she does not seem OK with it. She seems like she doesn't want to divorce him and keeps him around so that she can continue to control him, hold on to that little morsel of company that is left before her daughters move away and she's shuffling along that big, airy house of hers wearing printed caftans and taking swigs of white wine right of the bottle. Oh, and get this, she works with Robert too. They're both lawyers together. This lady is giving me red flags all over the place.
Next up is Karent, a woman whose name is infested with the cancer of an extra consonant. Yes, that T is just dangling off the end of her name like a malignant tumor. KarenT is from Columbia. No, not the university, the country. She used to be in beauty pageants and she used the scholarship money to become a dentist, a profession that is about as glamorous as podiatry, chiropracty, and waste management. KarenT lives with her parents, because she says it is normal for women in Latin cultures to live with their parents until they get married. Oh, that's so cute. Sorry, Karent, but you're not 25 anymore and waiting to start a family of your own. This is sort of like still wearing a promise ring to your 25th high school reunion. It is like having a crush on David Cassidy when you're peri-menopausal. Just admit that you are a middle aged woman who supports your parents, that's cool; admirable, infact. But don't use it like Botox. It's not making anyone think you're younger.
The only really interesting thing about KarenT is she is dating someone named Rudolpho, who is a telenovela star (I wonder if he knows ¡Que Viva! from Housewives New York). Rudolpho, I can tell, is smarmy and there is some drama going on with him and Ana and texting. I'm sorry, but middle-aged ladies should not be having drama about whose boyfriend is texting whom and whether or not their relationship is real. That is some Pretty Little Liars level shit.
Next up is returning Housewife Lea Black. She is sort of like Pig Pen from the Charlie Brown comics, but instead of dirt swirling around her it is noise. She is like one of those annoying sirens that they set off at random intervals at cheesy dance clubs. She is like a bag full of hoots, cackles, screams, and other various and assorted noises. She is also one of those people who says something totally awful and vapid and then punctuates it with a hoot and a holler so that you think she's joking. She is not joking. Whatever awful thing she just said she means. "Oh, this house was built in the '70s. It is so old. HONK CACKLE!! HAHA!" No, she means it. "This woman seems very nice, I'm just not used to skanks at my charity event. HONK CACKLE!! HAHA!" No, she just called you a skank to your face.
Lea Black bought a house on Star Island, which is where Diddy, Rosie O'Donnell, and Gloria Estefan and other celebs live. She wants to tear the whole house down and rebuild. Sorry, Lea, that is not the problem. The problem is that you have a pool in your back yard that is shaped like a giant penis. That might be the first thing you wanna fix, maybe. Just maybe. Unless you wanna live in the Hacienda De Dick.
Next door to Lea is Rosie O'Donnell's Craft Center and Lesbian Orphanage. Next to that lives Lisa, who is married to the Boob King of Miami. He sounds like the kind of plastic surgeon who advertises on the sides of buses and takes most major credit cards. But, hey, he can afford a house on Star Island the we're trying to scrounge together couch change to pay the burrito delivery guy as he waits there impatiently in the door. Good for you, Lisa's husband. Lisa is the kind of girl who takes all her awful qualities and "owns them," as if that makes them better. Yes, she is proud to be vain, materialistic, awful, and bitchy. She is the kind of person who would refer to herself as a "diva" and not realize that there is some irony that can be wrung out of that statement. She is the kind of woman who asks her husband to bring home Botox because there is a tiny part of her face that has become mobile. She is the kind of woman who is training her maid, Daysy, so that she can have plastic surgery like she's a real life contestant on The Swan. She is the kind of woman who, at the end of a workout, offers Daysy a drink, even though she knows she is in AA. She is the kind of blithe awfulness that this franchise was built on since the beginning.
Next up is Joanna Krupa, who is meant to be the star of this here show. She is actually quite a "get" for Bravo, considering she is a real actual model, not a "model" like the rest of the Housewives who claim they are models and just have some awful pics and a Model Mayhem page. She is like Victoria's Secret for real and was on Dancing with the Stars and is legit. She also has the best Real Housewives tagline of all time: "I'm a model, just not always a model citizen." We didn't see much of her other than the fact that she threw a temper tantrum because she wasn't going to be on the cover of a magazine and the editors tricked her. I can't really bitch about that. This is sort of a real argument. I don't know why she is calling up and screaming at her agent about how many covers she's had over the years. This is a fact the manager knows. You don't need to shout it at her, Joanna. Have her shout at the editors, don't misplace your anger. Joanna has a hunky boyfriend named Romain who is the heir to the lettuce fortune and has a nightclub that is named Mint, which is possibly the worst name of a nightclub ever. He should just call it The Douche Hut, book Skrillex, and call it a day.
Who we really need to talk about is Marta, Joanna's sister who lives with her and Romain and does not get along with her sister's boyfriend. (Fiance? Whatever.) If I were writing a novel based on this show, the main character would be Marta. She is the not-as-cute younger sister of a famous beautiful person. Every one of her words drips with jealousy. She is also kind of a mess, going out to clubs and making out with dudes and not going home to wash her face and just showing up at her day job (as her sister's assistant!) in last night's makeup. She is just sad and complex and devious and just a little bit of all of us. I love Marta. I want to go with her to Mint and watch her get shitfaced and make out with some guy named Jose who she thinks is rich because his watch weighs more than her sister.
Who is left? Oh Adrianna. Do we have to talk about her? I would rather not. She is sort of a like a Brazilian Blowout come to life. She is the kind of woman who dates the villain on Miami Vice and he wants her to live on his yacht and she says she will only if there is a walk-in closet and room for her baby grand piano. Why do you need a piano on a boat? Do you remember how that turned out in The Piano? Yeah, not good. Adrianna, like Lisa, is just sort of blithely awful. That was fine last season when she was the only one (both Larsa and Christie, who are not on the show anymore, were awful in their own special ways) but now she has to fight against Lisa for the "I'm so vain and I think it's cute" slot. That is the worst slot. Someone should blow that slot up forever.
After we meet everyone they all get together at a party and Lea snubs Lisa so that she can talk to Mama Elsa, who wasn't psychic enough to know she would pass out at the party. Also, KarenT and Ana and Rudolpho had some sort of epic kiss kiss scare down like they were living in a telenovela. There was some fight with Romain and Marta over text and, wow, there are a lot of people on this show. This thing is packed. Not only are there more Housewives than any other city, but there is also Alexia, an original Housewife who is only around part time because she is caring for her son, who was in a bad car crash. Then each housewife has a friend or a sister or a boyfriend or a mother or two parents or a missing dog or something else. This thing is as sprawling as a western city, pockmarked with strip malls and sadness. It's gonna be a really crazy year.
Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
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Labor Day is approaching, and that means it is the end of summer. Gosh, that makes me so sad. The only consolation I have is that the fall TV schedule will be starting in no time. Some of the shows have already premiered (remember when Animal Practice took over the Olympics?) but the rollout really starts September 10. But even that means no more late sunsets, barbecues, and Fridays leaving the office early. I'm gonna miss summer. Maybe that's why I was so mean to all the new shows. Here is a schedule of when all the shows both new and returning return to your tube and a mean little joke about each of them. No one was spared, including your DVR which will probably be recording half of these.
Monday, September 10
The Voice, NBC, 8 PM: Our memorable mentors welcome a whole new crop of forgettable talent. Tuesday, September 11
Go On, NBC, 9 PM: Matthew Perry ushers in Community for the masses. New Normal, NBC, 9:30 PM: Enjoy the first season of Ryan Murphy's new gay dads comedy, before it falls victim to the same fate that befell Glee. Parenthood, NBC, 10 PM: Did you guys know this was based on a movie? Did you know it was still on? Sons of Anarchy, FX, 10 PM: Be sure to wear a helmet for this guns, drugs, and motorcycles drama. Wednesday, September 12 The X-Factor, Fox, 8 PM: Britney Spears, with her hair grown back, tries to hold it together on live TV and give Simon Cowell another hit. Guys with Kids, NBC, 10 PM: This is not Daddy Day Care, but close. Thursday, September 13 Glee, Fox, 9 PM: Kurt &amp; Rachel Take New York finds a new night. The Real Housewives of Miami, Bravo, 10 PM: It's another go for the franchise's second most boring cast (hi, D.C.!). Friday, September 14 Shark Tank, ABC, 8 PM: This is not Discovery and there are no actual sharks. I'm sorry. What Would You Do?, Network, 9 PM: It's Candid Camera with a smattering of guilt. 20/20, Network, 10 PM: Barbara Walters is still retired. Sunday, September 16 Boardwalk Empire, HBO, 9 PM: Nucky killed Jimmy Darmody. Spoiler alert! Monday, September 17 Bones, Fox, 8 PM: This procedural has been brought to you by the good people at Boniva. The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9 PM: A young woman must tend to injuries procured when large groups of people dance in public to be put on YouTube. Oh, it's not The Flash Mob Doctor? Never mind. Revolution, NBC, 10 PM: You say you want Revolution, well, you know, we all want to change the world (as long as the lights don't go off and we still have electricity). Wednesday, September 19 Survivor: Philippines, Network, 8 PM: You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have holy s**t, Blair is going to be on Survivor! Thursday, September 20 Up All Night, NBC, 8:30 PM: I like to call this The Ava Show and pretend everything about the baby never happened. The Office, NBC, 9 PM: Yes. Still. Parks &amp; Recreation, NBC, 9:30 PM: I was shocked to learn this was not a USA procedural about sassy lady detectives. Recreation is a really funny last name. Friday, September 21 Grimm, NBC, 9 PM: I would probably like this show. I should watch it. But I won't. It's Friday! Sunday, September 23 Treme, HBO, 9 PM: Just watch The Wire instead. Monday, September 24 How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 8 PM: Seriously, we're ready to find out. Just tell us already! No, not how he met the mother, how Jason Segel hasn't left this show to do movies yet. Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, ABC, 8 PM: Your mom is so excited. Partners, CBS, 8:30 PM: A gay guy and his straight best friend live and work together. If only they were criminals so we could call this Will &amp; Disgrace. 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 9 PM: Destroying Brooklyn since 2011. Mike &amp; Molly, CBS, 9:30 PM: More fat jokes. Castle, ABC, 10 PM: Is this the one about the novelist and his unrequited love who solves crimes, the really smart guy and his unrequited love who solves crimes, or the archeologist and her unrequited love who solves crimes. Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 10 PM: Yup. It's on! Tuesday, September 25 NCIS, CBS, 8 PM: This season [fill in investigation force] discovers [fill in crime] and then [fill in method of prosecution]. Repeat for every CBS procedural. New Girl, Fox, 8 PM: She's not so new anymore, but she's still funny. Ben and Kate, Fox, 8:30 PM: No, not your college friends who got divorced because she wanted and open marriage so she could sleep with women. No, this is about a wacky brother who is helping his straight-shooting sister who to raise a baby. See, it's much more normal than your friends Ben and Kate. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 9 PM: This season [fill in investigation force] discovers [fill in crime] and then [fill in method of prosecution]. Move to L.A. The Mindy Project, Fox, 9:30 PM: The Office star Mindy Kaling plays a med student starring on a sitcom with a really bad name. Private Practice, ABC, 10 PM: Hasn't this hospital been blown up or abducted by aliens or closed down by malpractice lawsuits yet? Everything else has happened there. Vegas, Network, 10 PM: Apparently what happened there is refusing to stay. Wednesday, September 26 The Middle, ABC, 8 PM: No, this is not a show about love handles. Animal Practice, NBC, 8 PM: The show that interrupted the Olympics settles into its regular time slot. There is still a monkey doctor. Modern Family, ABC, 9 PM: Isn't their documentary finished yet? Criminal Minds, CBS, 9 PM: Good guys save the world from bad guys, right? Probably. Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC, 9 PM: If they didn't make new episodes, what would they show on cable? CSI: Original Recipe, CBS, 10 PM: A continued investigation into how Ted Danson's hair piece has fooled us all for so long. The Neighbors, NBC, 10 PM: Don't worry, this aliens next door comedy will be cancelled faster than you can say Coneheads. Thursday, September 27 The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8 PM: Don't worry, Miami Bialkis' hand will still be there. Last Resort, ABC, 8 PM: A submarine disobeys orders and somehow becomes a sovereign nation with a nuclear bomb. Yeah, I don't get it either. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 8:30 PM: Miley Cyrus is on this season. Yeah, for real. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 9 PM: Somewhere on a lonely sofa somewhere in 2003 there is still a crying girl eating a tube of cookie dough out of a tube. Person of Interest, CBS, 8 PM: Well, not of interest to everybody. But, yes, intersting! Elementary, CBS, 10 PM: This would have been a great name for a show about a school. Instead it's a reworking of Sherlock Holmes with Lucy Liu and the former Mr. Angelina Jolie. Scandal, ABC, 10 PM: This show about the President being a dirty old man started kind of boring but ended quite well. Bring on season two! Friday, September 28 CSI: NY, CBS, 8 PM: Miami is the one that got cancelled. Sorry, New York. Made in Jersey, CBS, 9 PM: This is not a show about Snooki's baby, it is about a blue collar girl taking over a white collar law firm. Sounds like Snooki at Law. Fringe, Fox, 9 PM: If you haven't been watching from the beginning, don't bother. Blue Bloods, CBS, 10 PM: Home of TV's best mustache. Sunday, September 30 Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8 PM: Now all the fairy tales know their in the real world. My 12-year-old self is so excited. The Amazing Race, CBS, 8 PM: Just give it another Emmy already. The Simpsons, Fox, 8 PM: All these years and Marge hasn't aged a day. Screw all the other merchandise, they should bottle that. Bob's Burgers, Fox, 8:30 PM: The is the cartoon that isn't The Simpsons or by Seth MacFarlane. Revenge, ABC, 9 PM: I am still so pissed about the move to Sunday I can't even talk about it. But I'm really excited for Madeline Stowe's immovable forehead. The Good Wife, CBS, 9 PM: Why do they have to move all the good strong lady shows from Tuesday to Sunday. We can only watch one thing at a time! Family Guy, Fox, 9 PM: Everyone you know who has done a keg stand is very happy about this. Dexter, Showtime, 9 PM: Now his sister is in love with him? How did they make a show about a serial killer even creepier? American Dad, Fox, 9:30 PM: Has the ET that lives in their house ever phoned home? Why not? 666 Park Avenue, ABC, 10 PM: Vanessa Williams and Lost's Terry O'Quinn own a haunted apartment building. It's filled with the ghosts of failed pilots past. Whoooo-hooooo! The Mentalist, CBS, 10 PM: My mother told me it was rude to call someone that. Homeland, Showtime, 10 PM: TV's twistiest hour comes back with terrorists, trips to the Middle East and Claire Danes running and crying. She's going to win an Emmy for running and crying, you know. Tuesday, October 2 Hart of Dixie, CW, 8 PM: See Rachel Bilson NOT in one of those Magnum ice cream bar ads. Raising Hope, Fox, 8 PM: Everyone's favorite ill-equipped parents are back. No, not Bristol Palin, Snooki or the cast of Teen Mom. Wednesday, October 3 Supernatural, CW, 9 PM: The real miracle is that this is still around. It must be made of magic. Thursday, October 4 30 Rock, NBC, 8 PM: Tina Fey's last season. Start your crying now. Monday, October 8 90210, Fox, 8 PM: Donna Martin has already graduated, right? Gossip Girl, CW, 9 PM: Between all the booze, hookups, and bad decisions, it's amazing Serena van der Woodsen is still alive. Wednesday, October 10 Arrow, CW, 8 PM: Now that Smallville is off the air, the CW needs another DC Comics hero on its roster. This time it's a sharp shooter who solves crime. Damn, archery is so hot right now. Thanks Katniss. Chicago Fire, NBC, 10 PM: Think NYPD Blue but in a fire house. At least there is plenty of shirtlessness. Nashville, ABC, 10 PM: Watching Connie Britton and Hayden Pain Quotidien have a blonde off in Country Strong: The Program is going to be amazing. Thursday, October 11 The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8 PM: She's a vampire now, guys! Finally, the title makes sense. Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9 PM: Anyone waiting for a "Be Our Guest" reprise is going to be sorely disappointed. Sunday, October 14 The Walking Dead, AMC, 9 PM: Finally they're off that damn farm. Now they head to prison. Let's hope there's more action there. Also drink every time someone asks, "Where's Carl?" Tuesday, October 16 Emily Owens, M.D., CW, 9 PM: Meryl Streep's daughter deserves better! Wednesday, October 17 Suburgatory, ABC, 10 PM: The funniest show you don't watch is back to fell more trees in the forest that no one hears. Friday, October 17 America's Next Top Model: College Edition, CW, 9 PM: It makes sense. It seems like Tyra's baby has been around for 18 years at this point. Whitney, NBC, 8 PM: Why? Community, NBC, 8:30 PM: Think people are finally going to start watching Community even without Dan Harmon? Don't think so. Sorry. Nikita, CW, 9 PM: Isn't it about time that Bridget Fonda guest starred? Tuesday, October 23 Happy Endings, ABC, 9 PM: Just like the happy ending you have to wait until the very end of the season to get this. Unlike a happy ending, this one requires no clean up. Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, ABC, 9:30 PM: Some bangs, same scams, same Van Der Beek. Nothing wrong with that! Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan More: 'The X Factor': A Deep Dive The Ballad of Troy and Abed — 8 Clips Chronicling the Greatest TV Friendship Ever 10 Other Shows That Should Be Banned Instead of 'The New Normal'

S1E17: Person of Interest is pretty much a crapshoot, varying from dull and flavorless (like the last episode) to invigorating and filled with merit, like this week’s “Baby Blue.” While there have definitely been better episodes of the show, “Baby Blue” might cover the widest range of emotion: I actually found myself laughing, nearly tearing up, and genuinely tensed up at various different points throughout the episode—and a piece of cinema or television that can illicit any emotional response is a successful one.
"The cop who is on her own." - Moretti I find that this show works best when it has more than one storyline going on—it detracts from the hollow and sometimes formulaic procedural angle that Person of Interest sometimes falls victim to. This week, the team, with Carter on the front lines, is looking to wrangle Elias’ father Moretti (returning Breaking Badian Mark Margolis) into an ad-hoc Witness Protection Program to evade any attacks from his vengeful son. They’re also hoping that Moretti might be able to fill them in on any info that might aid in the apprehension of Elias, who, as I’m sure all Person of Interest fans are glad to realize, looks to be back for the long haul. At least I hope we won’t be living with another long string of episodes without the compelling villain who really does drive the show. All the while, a number comes up. Whereas the Number of the Week story usually suffers due to monotony, however, this time there’s a special twist: the Person of Interest is a six month-old baby.
"Every cop in the city is looking for that kid." - Carter
"I'm teaching her to work undercover." - Reese As an audience member, three things come with this. One: any danger the P.O.I. finds herself in is automatically much more dreadful to watch—you might find it hard to keep your eyes on the TV screen in the climactic scene of this week’s episode. Two: there’s also a good deal of sweetness that comes with watching both Reese and Finch care for an infant girl. You’d think at least one of them would play the “I’m not good with kids” card—it seems like an easy trait to apply to either character, Reese especially. But both men are extremely attentive and extremely warm toward young Layla. Finally, three: at times, it’s also quite funny to watch the hired assassin and his super genius boss befuddled and turned affectionate by a baby. And a scene that places Finch and Carter discussing their secret agent strategies while on line in a department store buying diapers and the like is surprisingly well crafted for this program (the music, the camerawork and the actors’ deliveries all contribute to a fun scene), which is usually pretty simple and straightforward in its direction. The hunt for the people after young Layla is the most inconsequential aspect of the episode. It turns out that some middle-aged, married socialite fathered the baby with a young woman who was promptly killed thereafter—by hit men hired by the adulterer’s wife, who also hired a crew to take Layla out of the country and sell her. The operations going into discovering these facts and accomplishing the goal of delivering Layla—who had been living at the hospital—to her biological grandparents, the loving parents of her murdered mother, are all pretty commonplace Person of Interest surveillance and legwork stuff. What’s far more compelling is how desperate Reese and Finch get to ensure young Layla’s safety (they are way more invested in their Number’s well-being than usual, understandably) and the lengths they are willing to take to achieve this.
"I'm all out of moves, Finch. Risk is all I have left." - Reese In an effort to bring the baby to her grandparents, Reese and Finch are intercepted and bested by the hired kidnappers—the baby is taken. Reese has no idea how to get to them and get Layla back, so he contacts the only man who has a profound enough knowledge of and hand in the New York crime rings to provide any assistance: Elias.
Elias does help Reese get Layla back, but for a price: information about his father’s whereabouts. Carter has Moretti safeguarded in a house in Queens under the watch of one of the few remaining uncorrupt cops with whom she’s acquainted, Officer Could-Switching-to-GEICO (Mike McGlone, another returnee). When Reese refuses, Elias’ men stick Reese in a freezer truck until he gives up the info. But here’s the kicker…Elias puts the baby in the freezer, too. As the temperature drops, we see Reese’s agonizing terror for Layla’s safety rise. He is handcuffed to a pipe, so it takes him a while to even manage free of this so that he can cradle her with his body warmth. Eventually, Reese gives up Moretti’s location. Elias slips him the key and zooms off to take care of his greatly detested father.
"It'd be nice to have a child. Children. Think that'll ever happen?...Probably not. Our line of work." - Reese
"The trouble with children: you never know how they're going to turn out." - Finch Elias manages to take down Officer GEICO and leave the scene with his dad in custody. When Reese (after dropping Layla off with Finch) and Carter arrive, they nurse the officer, whose condition is unclear; Carter learns that Reese was in cooperation with Elias to save Layla’s life, which seems to bring her to the realization of all the crazy, backwards and hardly legal stuff she has been involved in. Carter promptly insists that she can no longer be a part of the team, which Reese accepts. He and Finch then solemnly drop Layla off with her new guardians, her maternal grandparents, with Reese tacitly revealing that he will genuinely miss her.
Interestingly, the episode seems to allude to the fact that Finch has a child of his own. Throughout, he is far more prepared with and knowledgeable about childcare than Reese is, knowing how to feed and change Layla expertly. As the duo bids its farewell to Layla, Finch seems to be a bit callous about the whole thing, almost glad that he won't be able to see her grow up. Has Finch raised a child that has somehow "gone bad?" Is this why he is so close and loving to Nathan's son William?
"What'd you learn?" - Officer
"She had a pizza." - Fusco The episode also continues on the path of redeeming Fusco. Despite probing by his suspicious and corrupt superiors, Fusco does not give up any of the information he manages to accumulate regarding Carter’s “side-operations.” Attaboy, Lionel. Earn your way back into our hearts. This week’s “Baby Blue” has the right components to make it one of the better Person of Interest episodes in recent weeks. The reintroduction of the Elias plot is clearly a big win—the larger arcs are far more compelling than the one-off crimes. But as far as one-off crimes go, this is one of the more captivating ones. It has the immediacy needed to keep audiences caring about the outcome (even if it’s kind of cheating—who wouldn’t care about a baby?), and a good deal of sentiment, excitement, and humor. The final scene shows Elias on the beach with his father, surrounded by Elias’ men, and some good old ominous music. What is Elias’ plan here? Is it simply cathartic revenge, or is there much more to it? And what about the possibility of Finch's fatherhood? Let us know what you think in the comments section or on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter.

The Toronto International Film Festival has an impressive slate of films lined up for its 35th anniversary. The Canadian film festival will host 25 World Premieres, 15 Gala Premiers and 35 Special Presentations films from a multitude of acclaimed and upcoming directors. The most anticipated films to debut at the festival include Darren Aronofsky’s followup to The Wrestler, the stately-looking Black Swan, and Mark Romanek’s adaptation of bestseller Never Let Me Go, starring new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield. Robert Redford’s Lincoln assassination drama The Conspirator and John Cameron Mitchell’s tearjerker Rabbit Hole, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s perplexing Biutiful are also generating some interest and buzz. Less promising features include Stone, a thriller so generic that Ed Norton's cornrows look like the most interesting thing about it, and Trust, David Schwimmer's melodramatic internet predator panic piece. But don't quote us on that, film festivals are always full of unexpected surprises, and you can never be sure what's going to become a hit.
The Toronto Film Festival will take place from September 9-19th. For a full summary of the films appearing in the festival, check out the official list below.
Galas
The Bang Bang Club. Steven Silver, Canada/South Africa World Premiere The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa and the final demise of apartheid. The film tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men – and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch, Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
Barney's Version Richard J. Lewis, Canada/Italy North American Premiere From producer Robert Lantos, Barney’s Version is a film based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel. Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney?s candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman) and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman).
Black Swan Darren Aronofsky, USA North American Premiere A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company. Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. Black Swan also stars Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder.
Casino Jack George Hickenlooper, Canada World Premiere Based on a true story, Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the former high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison, and stunned the world. It remains the biggest scandal to hit Washington, D.C. since Watergate. The film also stars Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Rachelle Lefevre and Jon Lovitz.
The Conspirator Robert Redford, USA World Premiere While an angry nation seeks vengeance, a young union war hero must defend a mother accused of aiding her son in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Directed by Robert Redford, the film stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood and Tom Wilkinson.
The Debt John Madden, USA North American Premiere Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington star in this thriller about three Israeli Mossad agents on a 1965 mission to capture a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, secrets about the case emerge.
The Housemaid Im Sang-Soo, South Korea North American Premiere In this erotic thriller, the housemaid of an upper-class family becomes entangled in a dangerous tryst. A satirical look at class structure, reminiscent of the work of Claude Chabrol, this sexy soap opera is a story of revenge and retribution.
Janie Jones David M. Rosenthal, USA World Premiere Aspiring recording artist Ethan Brand gets a stunning surprise on the opening night of a tour – a strung out former groupie appears unexpectedly, pleading with him to care for their daughter while she pulls herself together. Enter Janie Jones.
The King's Speech Tom Hooper, United Kingdom/Australia North American Premiere The King's Speech tells the story of the man who would become King George VI, the father of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George „Bertie? VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Little White Lies Guillaume Canet, France World Premiere Despite a traumatic event, a group of friends decides to go ahead with their annual beach vacation. Their relationships, convictions, sense of guilt and friendship are sorely tested. They are finally forced to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other. Directed by Guillaume Canet and starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonneton and Pascale Arbillot.
Peep World Barry Blaustein, USA World Premiere On the day of their father?s 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a novel written by the youngest sibling that exposes the family?s most intimate secrets. The project's available for distribution, and stars Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Taraji Henson and Ron Rifkin.
Potiche François Ozon, France North American Premiere A bourgeois housewife (Catherine Deneuve) takes on a rough union leader (Gerard Depardieu) in François Ozon's sparkling comic war between the sexes, and the classes.
The Town Ben Affleck, USA North American Premiere The Town is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future. In the Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, Doug MacCray is the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers. But everything changed on the gang?s last job when they took bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. Questioning what she saw, Doug seeks out Claire. As their relationship deepens, Doug wants out of this life and the town, but now he must choose whether to betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.
The Way Emilio Estevez, USA World Premiere Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage. Along the way he learns what it means to be a citizen of the world again and discovers the difference between “The life we live and the life we choose.”
West is West Andy De Emmony, United Kingdom World Premiere Manchester, Northern England, 1976. The now much-diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, is under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. His father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years earlier. The sequel to East is East, West is West is the coming of age story of both 15-year-old Sajid and of his father, 60-year-old George Khan.
Special Presentations
Another Year Mike Leigh, United Kingdom North American Premiere A happily married, middle-aged couple are visited by a number of unhappy and lonely friends who use them as confidantes. When an unmarried friend falls for their young son, they watch as events unfold. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez and Martin Savage.
Beginners Mike Mills, USA World Premiere When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore the honesty of his own relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.
The Big Picture Eric Lartigau, France World Premiere Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and two wonderful sons, except that this is not the life he has been dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing him to assume a new identity that will enable him to live his life fully. The Big Picture, an adaptation of the novel by Douglas Kennedy, is directed by Eric Lartigau and stars Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup and Catherine Deneuve. It is produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
Biutiful Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico North American Premiere This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever. The film stars Javier Bardem.
Blue Valentine Derek Cianfrance, USA Canadian Premiere Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost, told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.
Brighton Rock Rowan Joffe, United Kingdom World Premiere Based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel, we follow the odd relationship between a young thug on the rise in the British underground and a tea room waitress who witnesses a crime he has committed.
Buried Rodrigo Cortés, Spain/USA Canadian Premiere When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no idea who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time.
Conviction Tony Goldwyn, USA World Premiere Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister?s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters? (two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.
Cirkus Columbia Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina International Premiere After twenty years of exile, a husband returns to his hometown in Herzegovina to settle some scores with his ex-wife, armed with a new Mercedes, a sexy new girlfriend and a mangy black cat.
Dhobi Ghat Kiran Rao, India World Premiere In the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, four people separated by class and language are drawn together in compelling relationships. Shai, an affluent investment banker on a sabbatical, strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna, a young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor, and has a brief dalliance with Arun, a gifted painter. As they slip away from familiar moorings and drift closer together, the city finds its way into the crevices of their inner worlds.
Easy A Will Gluck, USA World Premiere After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne?s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumour mill to advance her social and financial standing.
Henry's Crime Malcolm Venville, USA World Premiere After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob the bank for real. His plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets complicated when he falls for the company?s lead actress. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Fisher Stevens, Peter Stormare, Danny Hoch and Bill Duke.
The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet, United Kingdom North American Premiere From the director of The Triplets Of Belleville comes a film of grace and unique beauty. Working from a never-produced script written by Jacques Tati for his daughter, Chomet tells the story of a magician who was pushed aside by rock and roll, yet finds one young girl who appreciates his magic. The film stars Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh Rankin.
In A Better World Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden International Premiere The story traces elements from a refugee camp in Africa to the grey humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial town. The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. Soon, friendship transforms into a dangerous alliance and a breathtaking pursuit in which life is at stake.
I Saw the Devil Kim Jee-woon, South Korea North American Premiere A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.
It's Kind of a Funny Story Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, USA World Premiere Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic – where he finds himself in the adult ward. Sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and the pressures of growing up. The comedy-drama stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA International Premiere Adapted from Bob Glaudini's acclaimed Off Broadway play, Jack Goes Boating is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. The film stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Amy Ryan and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Hoffman making his feature directorial debut.
L'Amour Fou Pierre Thoretton, France World Premiere Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires. This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his lifelong partnership with Pierre Bergé and their decision to auction off a lifetime of precious art and objects.
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Andrew Lau, Hong Kong North American Premiere In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor?s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen, who is believed dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that plagues the country.
Lope Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain World Premiere Andrucha Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega?s passionate life to the screen. The young poet returns to Madrid from war and gets his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe – quickly charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina, also falls under the spell of his poems. So much seduction eventually brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.
Love Crime Alain Corneau, France International Premiere Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingénue, Love Crime is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole, United Kingdom World Premiere Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O?Grady, the catalyst for the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists which led to the advent of the Equal Party Act. Working in extremely impoverished conditions for long, arduous hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lose their patience when they are reclassified as “unskilled.” With humour, common sense and courage, they take on their corporate paymasters, an increasingly belligerent local community, and finally the government itself. The film also stars Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James and Rosamund Pike.
Miral Julian Schnabel, United Kingdom/Israel/France North American Premiere From the director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes Miral, the visceral, first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of Miral's world – how she was formed, who influenced her, all that she experiences in her tumultuous early years – to create a raw, moving, poetic portrait of a woman whose small, personal story is inextricably woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.
Never Let Me Go Mark Romanek, United Kingdom World Premiere Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) spent their childhood at a seemingly idyllic boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school, the terrible truth of their fate is revealed and they must confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung, Japan North American Premiere Adapted from Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel. Watanabe, a quiet and serious college student, becomes deeply devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman with whom he shares the tragedy of their best friend?s death. When Naoko suddenly disappears, Midori, an outgoing, vivacious and supremely self-confident girl marches into Watanabe's life. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara.
Outside the Law Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium North American Premiere Bouchareb's follow-up to Days of Glory is an epic French gangster movie in the tradition of Once Upon a Time in America. The film follows three brothers from childhood in Algeria through turbulent years in Paris, as their paths diverge towards radical politics and violent crime.
Rabbit Hole John Cameron Mitchell, USA World Premiere A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy.
A Screaming Man Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad North American Premiere One of Africa's preeminent film artists, Haroun returns to themes of family and loyalty in war-torn Chad. A father and son work together at the pool of five-star hotel, but the civil war forces life-and-death choices upon them.
Stone John Curran, USA World Premiere. Robert De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined. Stone weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film also stars Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy.
Submarine Richard Ayoade, United Kingdom World Premiere British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic, and simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom, armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate.
That Girl in Yellow Boots Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere Ruth is searching for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour, where she gives "happy endings? to unfulfilled men. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth's quest as she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly.
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere Based on Posy Simmonds? beloved graphic novel. When Tamara Drewe returns to the village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara – once an ugly duckling – has been transformed and is now a minor celebrity. As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighbouring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play.
The Trip Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England, eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. The film stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
Trust David Schwimmer, USA World Premiere Safe and sound in their suburban home, Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) used to sleep well at night. When their 14-year-old daughter, Annie, made a new friend on-line – a 16-year-old boy named Charlie – Will and Lynn didn?t think much of it. But when Annie and Charlie make a plan to meet what happens in the next twenty-four hours changes the entire family forever. Charlie is really a 40-year-old serial pedophile (Tom McCarthy) and, once Annie?s rape comes to light, it becomes a touchstone event that reverberates through the entire family.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Woody Allen, United Kingdom/USA/Spain North American Premiere Woody Allen's latest comic ensemble piece follows a group of Londoners struggling with failing marriages, restless libidos, the perils of aging and desires that drive a series of decisions with unforeseen consequences. The film stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch and Naomi Watts.
Source: IndieWire

Synopsis

A woman must start her life over again after her husband leaves their marriage for her younger assistant after 25 years and two kids. Her intended therapy of throwing herself into her work is dashed when her job as a book editor is given to her assistant as well. Keeping her upbeat outlook on life in the face of adveristy, she begins to discover there is more to life and many possibilities that she would have never explored had her life gone the way she planned.